


Baby, It's Cold Outside

by missfeministfangirl



Category: The Hour
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff, Future Fic, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-22
Updated: 2012-12-22
Packaged: 2017-11-22 01:17:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/604218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missfeministfangirl/pseuds/missfeministfangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>gratuitous christmas fluff set one year after 2x06 and assumes that Freddie recovered and he and Bel got together. self betad</p>
            </blockquote>





	Baby, It's Cold Outside

“It’s pathetic.” Bel said, trying unsuccessfully to smother her laughter.

“It’s not pathetic, it’s just…. not ostentatious”

Bel let out a bark of laughter.

“Not ostentatious? That is certainly true.”

Freddie plopped down on the sofa next to her, nudging his shoulder against hers playfully as they both surveyed their newly purchased Christmas tree. It barely came past Freddie’s hip and to call its branches sparse would be an understatement.

“Well it might be small but it has spirit.”

“The spirit of what? A very unimpressive tree?” Bel said, finally succumbing to laughter, gazing up at Freddie with a twinkle in her eye.

“We did not have the pick of the litter.” Freddie finally conceded, a smile spreading over his face, “But to be fair it is late on Christmas eve. It was this or just a sprig of mistletoe. And as much as I’d like an excuse to kiss you, I think that would have been much less impressive.”

“True. But then I suppose we were never going to have some huge lavish tree with lots of decorations like Marnie’s.”

Freddie nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly perked up, jumped to his feet and said, “Hang on, I know what’ll make it better.” 

With this pronouncement he rushed off down the hall and Bel could hear him rifling through the closet. 

“What are you looking for?” Bel asked.

“You’ll see. I never was big on decorations, but I kept these after Dad passed. Guess I thought I’d get some use out of them one day. Here they are!”

Freddie came walking back carrying a box from which he pulled a strand of small white Christmas lights. He bent down to their tiny tree and began wrapping them around it’s delicate branches. Bel hopped off the couch to help and together they almost drowned the miniscule pine in lights. When Freddie plugged them in they outshone the tree entirely but they gave off a warm, festive glow.

“Much better.” Bel said approvingly, resting her head on Freddie’s shoulder as they knelt before the tree.

“Our first tree.” Freddie murmured, kissing her hair lightly.

“God, I hope it’s not an omen of things to come” Bel joked. Freddie chuckled and pressed another kiss to her cheek, then to the corner of her mouth, lingering there until she brushed her lips against his.

When he pulled back Freddie looked at his watch.

“It’s already well past midnight so it is technically Christmas. Shall we open presents?”

“Sure, it’s not like it’ll take us long.”

There were only two presents underneath their last minute Christmas tree so they each grabbed their own and settled on the sofa opposite one another. Bel began opening her larger one first, slowly peeling away the wrapping paper to reveal…  
“Oh Freddie…” She held a beautifully made suit case made of dark brown polished leather with a single gold clasp at the front. “

“Your old one is falling apart and I knew you wouldn’t buy something so nice for yourself” he said, trying to hide the expectant puppy look on his face, “And, I personalized it for you.”

Bel looked and could see, above the clasp, two letters embossed in the leather, “B.R.”

“Freddie it’s lovely,” she replied, running her fingers over the initials, “and ironic because your present is also bound in leather.”

Freddie smiled curiously and unwrapped his present. It was book, covered in dark green leather and when he opened to the first page.

“E.E. Cummings,” he said with a soft smile on his face. Then he saw the inscription, “To Freddie from your Very Possible Bel.”

He reached over to grab Bel’s hand and brought it up for a kiss.

“Thank you. Umm, I have one last thing…it’s kind of for both of us.”

“What?” Bel said, surprised.

Freddie just smiled then went over to his coat, rifling through the pocket and retrieving something. 

“Lix only got it developed the other day. She thought we might like it Apparently she had her camera at that office party at the beginning of December…”

Bel took the gift from Freddie. It was a photo in a simple silver frame. It was of Freddie and Bel, sitting close together, Freddie had taken his jacket off and loosened his tie and Bel had a drink in her hand. They had been celebrating the end of a particularly good story, she remembered, along with a grueling few weeks putting it together. But she didn’t remember the photo being taken. Lix had caught them off guard in a private little moment. . Freddie was turned towards her, pressed close to her ear, obviously murmuring something; his eyes were focused on Bel’s face with a look of quiet adoration. Bel was sitting close to him, her hand entwined with one of his and with wide, bright smile on her face, and laugh lines around her eyes as though whatever he had been saying had made her laugh. She looked relaxed and carefree; open and bright like a flower turned towards the sun. 

“I don’t remember what I said. But I hope keep saying things like that so I can see that look on your face again” Freddie said softly, sitting down next to her.

“You do.” Bel said. She leant over him to place the photo on the end table. Then she settled against him, leaning against his shoulder with his arm wrapped around her, “You do, Mr. Lyon.”

“Glad to hear it, Miss Rowley.”


End file.
